Check out our round-up of the shiny new releases from the platform giants with our thoughts on what and why brands should take note.

Instagram Adds Stickers For Restaurants To Sell Gift Cards And Food Delivery

After months of testing this feature, Instagram has officially announced that business and creator accounts can now include stickers in their stories, that direct people to a website where they can order food delivery or buy gift cards.

The new function will enable Instagram users to spread the word by re-sharing the stickers in stories, to encourage their followers to support smaller businesses, in the hope, it will increase sales during the lockdown.

Businesses can also include stickers that link out to a fundraiser built on Facebook. These stickers can be added to businesses’ profiles, too, as a permanent button.

With many retailers having to close their physical stores, the need for alternative ways to generate revenue has been never been so imperative, with social media and influencers being a vital resource for businesses to help spread the word.

The launch of the new Instagram feature, along with Facebook’s fundraiser tool, which now lets users create personal fundraiser pages to raise money for themselves, is meaningful for those smaller businesses under pressure right now.

This feature will be available in the US and Canada and will roll out globally in the coming weeks according to a blog posted by Instagram.

Facebook Releases New “Mood” For Stories Frames

The Facebook stories camera has released a new ‘moods’ mode which enables users to create a GIF-centric frame for their stories.

Once users select the ‘mood’ option, Facebook will ask you ‘How do you feel?’. You will then have the option to choose your answer.

Each option has associated multiple GIFs and images to accurately capture your mood.

These are designed to be quick and easy to create, and they’re utilising the popularity of GIFs in stories right now.

This will be a great opportunity for brands to use as the lead up to an announcement or new product they are launching to their community.

TikTok Bans Under-16s From Private Messaging

It’s the first time a major social-media platform has blocked private messaging for teenagers, on a global scale. This is a big step for TikTok to ensure that it strives to be brand-safe and build on its duty of care to its users.

The company made the announcement and reiterated that user safety is a priority. Until now, all users have been able to send direct messages, providing both accounts mutually followed each other.

TikTok said: “We know families are focused on ensuring that their family members have appropriate experience and most importantly, that they are safe when they are online.’’

The new policy is due to come into effect on 30 April.

Twitter Changes Data It’s Sharing With Advertisers

Twitter announced that it will collect more data from its users to be shared with advertisers. The company removed an option from its mobile app, that allowed users to control which personal details were sent to Twitter’s business partners.

The shared data is used to show the impact of advertising on Twitter, the company says. It helps Twitter prove that people are actually watching, interacting with, and otherwise seeing the ads that advertisers are paying for, which helps the company “continue operating as a free service.”

From now on, that information will be shared by default, and can’t be turned off. The exception will be for users in the UK and Europe, who will have to opt-in should they wish to let Twitter share more information about them.

Stay tuned for more of our specially curated round-up of the latest social media updates you need to be aware of!

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